Although significant progress has been made in the area of C—H bond activation, C—C bond activation is still relatively dormant. This may be attributed to the highly inert nature of the C—C sigma bond in addition to a poor interaction of the orbitals of the C—C sigma bond and transition metals.
While medium-sized heterocycles are prevalent in numerous bioactive molecules, the synthesis of eight-membered rings poses a serious challenge due to disfavored enthalpic and entropic factors. There is a continuing need for new synthetic methodologies that will enable efficient C—C bond activation, and for methodologies that allow for effective synthesis of eight-membered ring systems.